DAVIS CUP FINALS

November 17, 2025

Tomas Berdych

Jiri Lehecka

Jakub Mensik

Vit Kopriva

Adam Pavlasek

Team Czechia

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Welcome to the press conference for Team Czechia.

A question for the captain. How have the preparations been so far? How is your team? How is the atmosphere?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: Yes, everything's going very well, very smooth, to be honest. The team, I believe, they do feel great. They playing well. We still have couple more days to get ready and prepare for the Thursday tie. I'm looking forward to it.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions.

Q. Tomas, have you decided who is going to be playing?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: No.

Q. Not yet?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: No.

Q. When do you think you would decide?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: Well, I mean, since these formats keep changing, it's very new experience for me. I will keep myself the longest possible time. I think it's going to be in this case Wednesday, Wednesday afternoon.

Q. Jiri, you've had a great year on the tour. You've also had a great year in Davis Cup with four wins in your four singles matches so far this year. What is it about this competition that brings out the best in you? Looking ahead, if you are playing number one, you'll likely be playing the world No. 1 on Thursday.

JIRI LEHECKA: Yeah, of course Davis Cup is always special and always has been. Since the first moment I played my first tie in 2019, I felt that this competition is just something little bit different. You are not just playing for yourself, you are playing for the whole team, you are representing your country, so...

I always felt good in this competition. I think also that the team spirit makes it a little bit different. You have fun in the locker room. You have much more people than you are used to be traveling with when you are on the tour by yourself.

Yeah, these weeks are always the ones to which I'm very looking forward to. I always can't wait to be part of the team.

Yeah, of course we will see if it's the case and I will be playing. Of course, I think that we all know that there will be no bigger challenge this year for sure than to play Jannik or Carlos. These two guys are having a great season and producing unbelievable tennis anywhere they go.

We will see. I felt very good this year in all of my Davis Cup matches. I will definitely try to prepare my best if I play. Yeah, we will see.

Of course, I don't really need to explain how Carlos is playing. We all see his level. We will see how the draw goes. Yeah, let's see.

Q. Jakub, obviously amazing performance in the qualifiers in the USA. How does that give you confidence coming into the Finals?

JAKUB MENSIK: Yeah, thank you. I mean, for sure, like, not just me, but all of us in U.S. we play really well. Against United States, it was very tough tie, that's for sure.

Yeah, I mean, winning against them brings us a lot of confidence into the Final 8, into our next matchup. In my eyes, like, of course playing the singles and the doubles, basically all of the three matches, it was very tough for me. I'm glad that against Frances, the deciding match, it came to our side.

So for sure for the match against Spain, it will bring us a lot of confidence.

Q. Captain, you've got personal history with Spain. You won in 2012 in Prague against Spain, the first title you won as a player. You were playing against a team that David Ferrer was in it. What is it like now being the two of you former players captains going head-to-head?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: It's very different. I mean, there is nothing else like more, like different, than this can be. Back then we were running on the court. Now we will be sitting on the chair. That's the two contrasts that we can have.

It's a nice challenge. It's something that I'm really looking forward to. I mean, for me, it started the beginning of the year with the guys. It's been a good year so far. As you mentioned, Jiri winning all the singles, Jakub from the tie in the States. All the work putting every week, it's something that I'm proud of.

Now, I mean, we're getting in the Final 8 playing against probably the toughest team in these eight of them which are here, considering if Carlos is part of that. It's a big challenge for us. I'm looking forward to it.

It will be nice to get a new rivalry with David. We left it 8-8 in our singles career. Now there will be a new one to start with.

Q. Jakub and Jiri, how have you found the conditions here so far? Tomas, what have you found tougher or easier, being on court playing or sitting courtside instructing?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: Since I get this new role, then somehow when I stop to play, I kind of accepted much easier that I'm just sitting courtside and watching the guys, and I'm not able to help them. You know what I mean?

For me the worst feeling basically was when I was still a player, we played the Final against Spain in Prague, and Radek was playing the final match. You are there as a player. You are the one that you want to maybe decide the game, you will do maybe a little bit differently.

There I was definitely more nervous than now when I'm in the position of the captain knowing that basically I will not be able to play anymore. I'm not playing anymore.

Now it's much easier for me.

JIRI LEHECKA: Yeah, I think that all of us, we had a chance to play on the center court. Actually my point of view is that if I compare it to the typical indoor tennis, I think it's something we were expecting. I kind of feel that yeah, it's a bit faster indoor surface.

But if I compare the conditions to our last Davis Cup tie we played in Florida against the team of USA, it's completely different. There we played in big humidity outside. The surface was super slow.

To look back to that tie, I think it makes no sense for us anymore because these conditions are like 100 and zero. It's absolutely opposite. Yeah, that's my point of view.

JAKUB MENSIK: Yeah, I mean, I would just say that of course compared to all of the indoor Davis Cups that we played in Valencia last year or two years ago or to Malaga, it's pretty much the same. It's always like Davis Cup facility. The court, it's a little bit different than all of the ATP tournaments.

I mean, all of us, we already played there, so it's just getting used to it, pretty much do our best.

Q. Captain, you've had your strongest team available at every stage of this competition this year, which isn't the case for some of the nations. What does it say about just how much these players value this competition? Have you had to persuade them at all or has it just been total buy-in from everyone?

CAPTAIN TOMAS BERDYCH: No, it says a lot. It says a lot in the positive way. I think all of them, they are hungry to win the trophy. I think that's the most important basically why we are all here.

I'm very fortunate that they have this feeling about the competition. Whenever they are available and ready, then they are on to be in the team, which again for me as a captain, that's the best possible way to have the strongest team, having the strongest chances to win.

So I definitely believe in this team. They have a chance one day to win the trophy with the will, which they have.

Q. Do any of the players have memories of watching Tomas playing in the Davis Cup that you could share with us?

TOMAS MACHAC: Yes, of course, I was watching many matches of the Davis Cup. It was great for us to watch him and Radek because it was something special.

I think that's why I was playing also tennis, because it was something I will now achieve to be in the team.